Cargados-Carajos Islands

Cargados-Carajos Islands
Partial view of the Cargados-Carajos Islands
Waters	Indian Ocean
archipelago	Mascarens
Geographical location	16 ° 35 '  S , 59 ° 37'  O coordinates: 16 ° 35 '  S , 59 ° 37'  O
Number of islands	22nd
Main island	Île Raphael
Total land area	3.2 km²
Residents	uninhabited

Map of the Cargados-Carajos Islands

The Cargados Carajos Islands ( English Cargados Carajos Shoals ) also Saint Brandon are an archipelago with an extensive reef in the Indian Ocean , 407 kilometers (Coco Island - Mauritius) northeast of Mauritius (Coco Island - Port Louis 431 km). They are located on the submarine Mascarene Plateau and are therefore part of the Mascarene archipelago .

Its land area is only around 3.2 km², the reef extends over 65.5 km in north-south direction with a width of around 21 km, thus covering an area of ​​around 1,356 km². Almost all of the islands rise out of the sea west of this reef. They form the remains of a submerged volcano .

Politically, the Cargados-Carajos Islands are an area dependent on Mauritius and are administered directly by the government in Port Louis . The census in 2000 shows no permanent population for the archipelago, but 63 people were on Cargados Carajos at the time of the census. The islands are used as a fishing base, the mining of guano and copra production are further sources of income. The islands are covered with coral sand, in many places there is a thick layer of guano. Sea turtles use the beaches to lay their eggs.

The archipelago was probably discovered by Arab sailors in the 7th century. It got its name in 1506 from Portuguese sailors on their way to India . In 1598 the islands were conquered by the Dutch, in 1722 a French protectorate, came into British hands in 1810 and became part of the independent Mauritius in 1968.

On the second stage of the Volvo Ocean Race 2014–2015 , the Vestas Wind team ran into a reef on the Cargados-Carajos Islands on November 29, 2014. The team was saved unharmed.

The bigger islands

The following table lists the larger islands according to their geographical location (from north to south).

Surname	location	Remarks
Albatross Island	16 ° 13'43 "S, 59 ° 35'15" E	Area 1.01 km², at 6 m above sea level. d. Sea level highest point, uninhabited since 1988
Îlot du Nord (North Iceland)	16 ° 19S, 59 ° 39'E
Île Raphael	16 ° 27'S, 59 ° 37'E	largest population (> 35); Fishing, weather station, coast guard
Îlot siren	16 ° 28'S, 59 ° 34'E
Ile Tortue	16 ° 28'S, 59 ° 41'E
Pearl Islet (Île Perle)	16 ° 31'S, 59 ° 32'E
Île du Sud	16 ° 32'S, 59 ° 32'E	some temporary residents
Avocare Island (Avoquer)	16 ° 35'S, 59 ° 40'E	some temporary residents
Mapare Islet	16 ° 35'S, 59 ° 41'E
Frigate Islet (Île Frégate)	16 ° 37'S, 59 ° 31'E
Îlote du Paul	16 ° 37'S, 59 ° 33'E
Baleine Rocks	16 ° 41'S, 59 ° 30'E
Île Veronge (Verronge)	16 ° 41'S, 59 ° 37'E
Veronge Îlot	16 ° 42'S, 59 ° 38'E
Palm Islet	16 ° 45'S, 59 ° 35'E
Coco Island (Île aux Cocos)	16 ° 48'07 "S, 59 ° 32'44" E	some temporary residents, weather station
Grande Capitane	16 ° 40'S, 59 ° 50'E
Petite Capitane	16 ° 36'S, 59 ° 34'E
Puits A Eau	16 ° 39'S, 59 ° 34'E
Ile Poulailer	16 ° 44'S, 59 ° 46'E
Chaloupe	16 ° 49'S, 59 ° 50'E
Courson	16 ° 48'S, 59 ° 30'E

Climate table

St. Brandon (Cargados Carajos Islands)
Climate diagram
J F. M. A. M. J J A. S. O N D.     161   30th 25th     171   31 25th     133   30th 26th     96   30th 25th     67   28 24     54   26th 22nd     59   25th 22nd     51   25th 21st     29   26th 22nd     30th   27 22nd     27   28 24     71   30th 25th Temperature in ° C ,  precipitation in mm Source: wetterkontor.de

Average Monthly Temperatures and Rainfall for St. Brandon (Cargados Carajos Islands) Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Max. Temperature ( ° C ) 30.1 30.5 30.4 29.7 27.8 26.2 25.2 25.0 25.6 26.7 28.2 29.7 O 27.9 Min. Temperature (° C) 25.2 25.4 25.5 25.0 23.8 22.4 21.5 21.0 21.5 22.4 23.7 24.8 O 23.5 Precipitation ( mm ) 161 171 133 96 67 54 59 51 29 30th 27 71 Σ 949 Rainy days ( d ) 12 13 13 11 9 10 11 11 7th 8th 5 8th Σ 118 Humidity ( % ) 82 82 81 81 79 79 81 80 80 81 80 80 O 80.5 Source: wetterkontor.de

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Mauritius Census 2000 ( Memento from November 21, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) (English)
2. ↑ Grounded . Archived from the original on December 5, 2014. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Accessed November 30, 2014. (English) 

Web links

• Official nautical chart of the Cargados Carajos